Penang Diaries: Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

It’s not a bad thing to stray off and explore an unknown city on foot. Sure, it’s hot, you’re sweaty and sticky1 — but good things do come out of moments like this2.

To and from Line Clear, we walk past this corner to find a shit load of people queuing up. And it’s an unwritten rule in Asian street food culture that you should just go follow the line because that’s obviously where the good shit is.

We find there a battle of 2 cendol stores.

Cendol is a Malaysian dessert of shaved ice with fresh pandan-flavored palm flour noodles topped with coconut milk and palm sugar. Between the 2 stalls, it was clear who the favorite was.

Clear-cut crowd pleaser

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul serves their cendol with gula melaka and kidney beans, which they say the boil for 4 hours. Cendol literally means “bump” or “bulge,” in reference the sensation of drinking the green worm-like jelly.

Not a big dessert guy, but I found this to be super refreshing on a hot day like this. Mom had most of it and she was really happy with this.

The famous chendul

And it just cost MYR2.20 (or P30.00 or $0.65). God, I love Asian street food!